Photography

I would do something that would cause you both to smile / laugh. Play a game, toss a ball. How about Tug-a-war? One of you push the other on a swing? Goto a park with those really tall swings. One you can swing really high on. Have your partner, hands on the swing :) push you hard enough that they can run under you. Make sure you're both looking at the camera. Click click.

Build a sand castle on the beach. Hopefully covers what your partner wants.

Both peak over a dune and look at something in between you as a surprise and you could still touch as it wouldn't be in the photo. Only you would both know.

What about a piece of glass between you two? Or a piece of plywood or other thin, flat item that can be viewed on-end? That said, how I would stage that would probably be far too risque for these photos (hands trying to touch, leaning in and yearning)

I really like the bookshelf idea. But for the beach, some "beach stuff" that you can do together like a beach ball and I like the sand castle idea

Motion! Long lens with the couple walking towards you, chatting with eachother and laughing etc. Sitting at a table with cozy drinks, gazing at eachother. Throwing a ball/playing a light sport. Is whispering in ears allowed? That can be quite intimate as well. A great way to get laughs is to ask the bride whisper what she wants on her wedding list in a sexy way into the grooms ear. Once she starts describing a vaccum cleaner they should giggle a bit.

Check out x.joshuafernandez on Instagram. He does fantastic work with couples. He'll mix in shots of them not touching in a lot of his shoots.

Can you both be holding something, like could your partner be handing you a flower bouquet? For the book idea, what about sitting close to each other on a park bench reading the same book, or one of you holding a book and the other turning the page for them? Sitting at a picnic blanket and handing each other a sandwich?

You can make a half heart with your hand and have a photo of you two putting your hands together (not touching) to make a whole heart. Maybe use a stuffed heart and hold it together (cliche but it might look cute). If both of you have a common hobby or favorite character or tv show you can use a plushy or themed items. Maybe use a small tree and have one of you on each side, and hands on the center of the trunk at face level (so you get faces and the ring in the photo). If your shadows are allowed to touch I think you could create some interesting photos.

Why not take a mix of photos? You can get some that make you happy and some that you can post.

Put a dog between them?

I love this challenge! I would definitely suggest playing a game together. Tag, tug of war, build something together. Flirty looks over your shoulder while shyly tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. Pretending to whisper a secret to one another. Seeing who can jump higher. There’s SO much you can do here!

How about one of you sitting on a chair and the other behind the chair with on hand on the back of the chair?

How "risky" may the pictures be as long as they are no touches?

I'm tinking of Disney's Lady and the Tramp and Spaghetti or some other form of feeding each other

Your bookstore idea is a great start. Give yourselves places to be and things to do.

Not sure if there is a taboo here, but my first thought was the couple walking together and holding either end of a rope with a knot tied in it. Like, you know tying the knot? I think that would be cute

Have them hold the same thing. Same book, same piece of clothing; maybe putting her coat on, handing him his gloves, etc.. Hands on the back of the same chair. Eye contact and body language brings people together without being physically intimate

Charismatic vocal and humorous photographers do best here. You gotta get people to let their guard down through laughter or conversation they are interested in.

Starts with basic ice breakers like “what you guys been up to today?” “What’s your plans for the weekend?”. If they are siblings you have lots of potential material, “who got in trouble more?” “Who eats more?” Etc.

You want to see if you can get people in a place where they aren’t thinking as much about being photographed. You want them thinking more about feelings and emotions. It takes practice though.

I would have them physically separated, like a few feet and maybe they just make eachother laugh or enjoy each others company.

You could also do the moments leading up to touch, similarly to how the engagement is the time of anticipation for the wedding. Maybe they are approaching eachother in a book store or a coffee shop. Maybe you capture photos of each one looking at the other so you can show the excitement.

I think a bookstore like an old/antique style one would be a fun setting. You could do a bunch of fun shots at the end of a book shelf, looking through the shelf at each other, peeking around, maybe passing a book to one another or trying to take the same book off the shelf, reading over a shoulder etc.

I thought of these:

• They hold their hands up like they would if their palms would touch but there's a tiny gap about to close but still open, like their marriage about to happen.
• Guy a few steps up the stairs, lowering an apple/flower/engagement ring tied on a rope, girl stands on ground floor, smiling tries to catch it. Most of photo grey, only the rope and dangling object in bright colour.
• Beautiful landscape in the background, sunset or something, and their profiles as silhouettes from each side, eyes, nose, mouth all level to level, like those pictures you have to see either 2 people or 1 vase in the middle.
• Open really big umbrella (called golf umbrella), both hold the handle, either standing looking in each other's eyes or walking towards camera, not touching each other. Spray some "rain" in between them and camera.
• Door. One comes in the other opens the door in a welcoming manner. Or just the opposite, jokingly tries to close the door on the other.
• He holds open the car door for her, she looks at him with love in her eyes. One foot out about to touch the ground, Princess Diana or Jacky Kennedy style.
• Beach, sea in the background, both run towards each other, hands stretched out for a hug.

Touch anyway. Then just tell people the photographer is so skilled that it looks like you’re really touching!

This is the best post/thread I’ve read in such a long time. Good luck with your session, OP.

If it's not pushing boundaries too much, you could try the "almost touch".

- Reaching out with space between fingers as if you're trying to hold hands, but aren't.

- Palm to palm with air between.

- Leaning towards each other on a rail of some sort such as a bridge or something. Keep space between.

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You could also use props. Since you're thinking beach:

- Each holding one end of a conch shell or something else beachy. Or just use a simple rose. Something so you're close enough to touch the same object and have that connection for the eye to follow, but still aren't touching each other.

- Walking while carrying something between you, one hand on each side such as a sand bucket handle or a boat rope or something else beachy

- Lay on a beach blanket with space between you, but leaning towards each other reading a book.

- Build a sandcastle together! (Or write words like "marry me", "just engaged". Perhaps build a sand diamond ring?)

- Throwing a frisbee between each other. No need to catch if your eye-hand coordination is awful. The pictures won't be able to tell you missed! ;)

- Embrace the "down on one knee" vibe, but do something unexpected like having one partner present a shell, crab, or some other natural beach object to the other.

I always love to have clients engage in conversation. Discover more about them, see if you can get to a point of smiles and laughs. Capture these genuine moments rather than posing them

Think of ANY activity that the two of you can do while close together without touching. Tug of war using a rubber chicken.. each of you hug the family pet from the opposite side, bonus points for 3 smooshy faces in the image.. be mimes and act like there’s a wall between you when there’s only empty air…. SO many ideas

Also, מזל טוב!